Needle magazine

• US 7,134,550 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2001
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Original Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Inventors: Groth, Lars Mørch
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Assistant Examiner(s): PICKETT, JOHN G
• Application Number:
  US09/921,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20020020647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 206363-366, 206/380, 206/382, 206/383, 206/370, 206/460, 220/908, 422/933, 604/110, 604/192, 604240-242, 222/169, 222/170, 222/167, 221/26, 221/125, 221/310
• US Class Current: 206/366
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/002 Packages specially adapted therefor, e.g. for syringes or needles, kits for diabetics needle protection, e.g. caps, A61M5/3202; for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/02 for dispensing rod-shaped articles, e.g. needles packages for cigarettes provided with dispensing means B65D85/1009; dispensers for drinking straws A47G21/184
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0454 the whole forming a circular container with rotating parts B65D83/0463 takes precedence

Abstract

A needle magazine for storing a plurality of needle assemblies and for selectively dispensing said needle assemblies there from. The needle magazine comprises a cylinder-shaped base member with an upper surface and a bottom surface. These two surfaces are parallel to each other and connected by a cylinder-shaped surface. The base-member is provided with a number of compartments each having the form of a sector of a circle. Each compartment contains a needle assembly positioned in a horizontal position. The base member is at least partly covered by a cover having a first part parallel with the upper surface and a second part parallel with the cylinder-shaped surface of the base member, and which second part is provided with an opening through which access to each compartment can be gained radial of the axis of rotation of the cover.

Claims

1. A tool for attaching a pen needle assembly, which comprises a hub and needle cannula mounted to the hub, to an injection device that has a needle mounting surface disposed thereon, the tool comprising:

a. a cylindrical storage member having elongated cavities complementaly in size and shape to the pen needle assembly, the cavities arranged radially in the cylindrical member so as to allow the tool to rotate about an axis of rotation that is concentric with the cavity'"'"'s longitudinal axis;

b. a rotatable cover mounted on the storage member having a cylindrical wall and having an opening that allows access to one cavity at a time;

c. a removeably sterility barrier sealing the cavities;

wherein;

the height of the cylindrical member and cover are sized so as to allow a user to grasp the tool in one hand and to rotate the tool in one hand 360 degrees about the axis of rotation while simultaneously allowing the user to rotate the injection device 360 degrees in an other hand, wherein when the tool is grasped in the hand of a user, the majority of rotational force applied to the tool occurs at a distance displaced away from the axis of rotation of the tool, thereby maximizing the rotational force on the pen needle assembly.

2. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a means for preventing rotation of the cover over the same opening more than once.

3. A method of mounting a pen needle assembly, which comprises a hub and needle cannula mounted to the hub, to an injection device that has a needle mounting surface disposed thereon, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a tool that comprises

a. cylindrical storage member having elongated cavities complementary in size and shape to the pen needle assembly, the cavities arranged radially in the cylindrical member so as to allow the tool to rotate about an axis of rotation that is concentric with the cavity'"'"'s longitudinal axis;

b. a rotatable cover mounted on the storage member having a cylindrical wall and having an opening that allows access to one cavity at a time;

c. a removeably sterility barrier sealing the cavities;

wherein;

the diameter of the cylindrical member and the cover is substantially larger than the height of the cylindrical member and cover, respectively;

the height of the cylindrical member and cover are sized so as to allow a user to grasp and rotate the tool in one hand 360 degrees about the axis of rotation while simultaneously allowing the user to rotate the injection device 360 degrees in an other hand, wherein when the tool is grasped in the hand of a user, the majority of rotational force applied to the tool occurs at a distance displaced away from the axis of rotation of the tool, thereby maximizing the rotational force on the pen needle assembly;

removing the sterility barrier;

grasping the tool in one hand and the injection device in another;

rotating the tool 360 degrees;

rotating the injection device 360 degrees;

wherein the grasping of the tool occurs at a distance displaced away from the axis of rotation of the tool so as to maximize the rotational force on the pen needle assembly.

4. A needle storage and mounting apparatus for storing a plurality of pen needles and mounting one of the needles onto an injection device, the apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical body having radial cavities complementary in shape to the pen needles;

a cylindrical cover having one opening for accessing one cavity at a time, the cover being rotatable so that the opening can be rotated over a cavity;

a means for preventing the opening in the cover from being rotated over the same opening more than once;

a means for preventing rotation of the pen needle while the needle is in the cavity;

and wherein the apparatus has a height and diameter and wherein the diameter is substantially greater than the height so that a user may grasp the apparatus in one hand, exert a rotational force on the apparatus at a two points equidistant from the pen needle thereby maximizing the rotational force on the pen needle and assisting in screwing the pen needle onto the injection device.